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Government reject £370m bid to rebuild the Horton General
24/07/2023
Trust says: “We are naturally disappointed that our bid for national funding … has not been successful”
The bid for £370m to rebuild the Horton General Hospital on its existing site has not been successful.
Banbury FM has learned that the application for funding from the government’s New Hospital Programme did not make it to the final list.
The Oxford University Hospitals Trust, which runs the Horton General Hospital, said it was “naturally disappointed … given the benefits that this proposed investment would have brought for the patients and communities that we serve, and for our staff at the Horton General.”
Boris Johnson made a promise of 40 new hospitals during the 2019 election campaign. In September 2021 Oxford University Hospitals Trust submitted a bid to secure funding to rebuild the Horton General on its existing site. The new building would have been 58,000 square metres in size – almost twice as big as the current hospital. It was estimated that the project would cost between £350m and £370m.
In December last year Banbury’s MP Victoria Prentis met with the senior management team from the Trust and agreed to speak to her colleagues in the Department for Health and Social Care about the plans. She said she would emphasise the need for investment in the Horton.
Last Friday Labour Councillor Mark Cherry wrote to Mrs Prentis asking for an update on the funding for the Horton rebuild.
Ahead of today’s news Councillor Cherry said: “I have written to Victoria Prentis to request where we are with the government hospital rebuilding program. And most importantly, is Banbury’s Horton Hospital going to receive £370 million to rebuild the hospital.
“If no funding is forthcoming from the Conservative government this would be a body blow to the Banbury community, and the people rely on the Horton General Hospital.”
Today’s news follows a request from Banbury FM to the Trust for an update on the situation.
A Trust spokesperson told us: “Oxford University Hospitals is committed to the future of the Horton General Hospital in providing comprehensive healthcare services to the people of Banbury and surrounding areas including our Emergency Department (A&E), Midwifery-led Unit (MLU), Brodey Centre for cancer care, and a wide range of surgery, day case procedures, diagnostics and outpatient clinics.
“We are naturally disappointed that our bid for national funding through the New Hospitals Programme (NHP) has not been successful, given the benefits that this proposed investment would have brought for the patients and communities that we serve, and for our staff at the Horton General.
“In partnership with our staff, our Governors and the local people of Banbury and North Oxfordshire, we will continue to invest in new developments to improve further the quality of care which we provide for patients at the Horton General – for example, we have recently installed a new CT scanner to increase capacity for diagnostics and to ensure that more patients can be treated locally rather than having to travel to another hospital.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam
Bob Sharples On 24/07/2023 at 1:26 pm
Would it not be better to sell off existing hospital building and resite the new hospital in a more spascious area like on the Coventry Rd ? The proceeds of sale could go towards the new building which could have more , better parking facilities?
Nick Cotter On 26/07/2023 at 2:03 pm
I would be more impressed if Cllr Woodcock and his Labour colleagues had grasped the opportunity to take over control of Cherwell District Council from the Tories …a deal had been agreed which was spiked by Labour’s NEC ….Cllr Nick Cotter Deputy Leader Liberal Democrats Cherwell District Council…
Ryan On 19/03/2024 at 5:06 am
The Horton A & E department is very small for the foot fall and patients it serves. It looks drab and tired. Patients use the department feel unwell and to seek medical help yet initially on entrance are faced with an unhygienic reception area with staff you can see are trying to make the best out of a bad environment. The infill structure is growing for miles around the hospital yet the hospital has not got the capacity to cope. The staff are all remarkable at their job but the waiting time is extensive at times and patients being treated in a corridor is disgusting.